Qantas Group Pilots Giving Up Entitlements

I think the percentage of QF group pilots that are still flying after COVID 19 depends on the amount that Virgin contracts.

I dont blame the 787 boys for trying to think outside the square to get themselves flying given that international is probably at least 12-18 months away. I think their best chance would be SYD-AKL-MEL services like they did a few years ago, but I think even that is grasping at straws. It doesn’t make much sense to reactive a fleet for such little flying.

12 to 18 months ?

You might not have noticed, but although reduced, there are plenty of flights operating in EU & USA right now.

Quite a few airlines are looking to start flying on some sort of normal schedule within a month to 6 weeks (domestically) to NZ not long after that, a month maybe & rest of international a month after that.

Welfare will have to cut out well before Sept.

Everyone here should be talking it up, not down.

If above doesn't happen, better start cleaning your rifles & loading up on ammo & stocking up at the supermarket.

The media frenzy will end soon, as public is sick & tired of the hype & some so called expert being dragged out, that no one has ever heard of.

Sounds like many don't know how media works.

They phone around until they get some contravertial opinion & make it, that opinion, (from someone who likes to see their name in the paper as an expert, ) sound like all experts agree, when they never do.

The media will find something else to beat up.

Virtually no one is dying in OZ or NZ of corona, but it's very dangerous driving cars on our now very busy roads, relatively.

The thing that hasn't been mentioned about deaths in nursing homes, is ow many would have died in the same period due to some other medical reason.

Yup, I get that. But the “rest of us” will probably have a “type” to go back to!

The company will have to address the RIN issues, one for the B747 and a partial RIN for the A380 first. As being much junior I wish it could be different but accept the senior pilots have contractual rights in the EBA despite the cost to the company. Remember all training is done in house with Qf simulators and training staff so costs would be as minimal as possible (even though very expensive). Changing from Left seat to right seat is more of a formality rather than cost (short haul) as is First Officer to second Officer if on same type in LH. Come October once the company has worked out the RINs and the flight schedule going forward, then and only then will we know the extent of the redundancy’s. But there will be redundancy’s!!

Virtually no one is dying in OZ or NZ of corona, but it's very dangerous driving cars on our now very busy roads, relatively.

There are reasons virtually no-one in OZ or NZ are dying of corona, but two great isolated (to the rest of the world) countries to pick. New Zealand have a slightly better recovery rate than Australia considering populations.

Other countries not so isolated have vastly worse figures than Oz & NZ, both in total numbers and recovery rates.

Singapore appeared to have the virus under control and has been held up as a model to the world in how to beat COVID-19. April 14 there was 3,252 cases - today less than 4 weeks later 22,460 cases including 753 in the past 24 hours. That said they are doing exceptionally well with recoveries and I assume that is due to the health system capabilities.

If Australia or New Zealand had a seven fold increase in cases in a month, expect a far greater than 7 x increase in our current death rate. We simply have our limited resources spread over large areas to be able deal with clusters outside capital city limits.

Hearing rumours that pilots are being encouraged (by their company and more senior crew) to give up meal and other types of EA allowances to ensure the company they work for are given preferential treatment when QF hands out flying work.

ie: QF will give this Charter flight to Network because Cobham and Mainline crew are claiming an extra X% of allowances per month.

Is this exactly why QF has multiple entities doing effectively the same thing (piloting aircraft) because they know they’ll fight for work and save QF money? Are the crew that are giving up entitlements scabbing?

If you think its going to be less than 12-18 months before we open our international boarders then I think you’re setting yourself up to be pretty disappointed.

Australia has managed to contain the virus unlike the US/EU (for now), how can we open our boarders until we can be assured every other country has done the same (which we can’t) or there’s a vaccine?

The best we can hope for is a gradual expanding of the bubble beyond NZ and pacific islands in the next 6-12 months(maybe Singapore, South Korea next).

have a listen to Scomo next time he’s asked about international travel. Definitely not happening this year, so you can read into that early/mid next year would be best case.

scomo is trying to get everyone to holiday in OZ for rest of year, cos the country is now broke & we don't want to be sending $$$ overseas, BUT we need tourists, especially from NZ, even though they don't speak english & guess what, NZ govt is going to be trying to get other borders open soon, so Australians will be able to fly OZ/NZ & then onward to Canada etc. very soon. Predict that will happen in 2 to 3 months. Vaccine ? Who knows when that will happen. Some are being tested now, but in the short term drugs might offer a solution.

scomo is trying to get everyone to holiday in OZ for rest of year, cos the country is now broke & we don't want to be sending $$$ overseas, BUT we need tourists, especially from NZ, even though they don't speak english & guess what, NZ govt is going to be trying to get other borders open soon, so Australians will be able to fly OZ/NZ & then onward to Canada etc. very soon. Predict that will happen in 2 to 3 months. Vaccine ? Who knows when that will happen. Some are being tested now, but in the short term drugs might offer a solution.

This is a touch more realistic than your original ‘domestic in 6 weeks, NZ a month after that, then full international in another month’ that you replied to me with. We havent even convinced our state premiers to open interstate boarders yet, never mind international.

But you raised the main point, no one knows!

However, peddling false hope is a dangerous. In these circumstances it’s probably best to plan for the worst and cautiously hope for the best, mentally and financially.

It's much easier for a politician to give a worst case scenario and then take credit when things don't turn out as bad as everyone expected. Should be worth a few votes if the borders can be opened up early.

The virus was a wave which washed across the world, countries which got hit first are largely on the road to recovery, those hit later still have a few weeks to go, but I think most people would agree that the worst is over and light is starting to appear at the end of the tunnel. Infection and death rates have slowed, health systems in developed countries were stretched but coped.

Talk is now of how to lift restrictions and open up gradually rather than of imposing further measures. Some regions of the world will remain off limits for varying lengths of time, and there will be sporadic outbreaks to be dealt with but we can now concentrate on the road to recovery.

We will have to get used to wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing for a long time to come. The Australian standard of hat, sunglasses and sunscreen when going outside will now include a mask.

The issue now is dealing with the economic impact that the virus has had. Flying will return in phases as demand picks up, what the final picture will look like is anyone's guess.

Infection and death rates have slowed, health systems in developed countries were stretched but coped.

And here is part of the problem. Health systems haven't been stretched. Not in the US where field hospitals were set up and then not used, ventilator usage has been massively down on predictions and within capacity, and hospitals are laying off staff due the drop in income as they sit idle. Not in UK NHS which has had a similar result in terms of health system capacity to the US. Not in Sweden which sensibly let the virus roll through and they now see that the infection rate is massive with most having nil or minor ailments, and by the way not facing any second wave like other countries which will probably catch their death toll in a years time. Also not in Aus and certainly not in NZ where I've used one of the main hospitals twice for accidents during this time for myself and the family, I've never had such fast service as the place was sitting empty. I believe NZ topped out at approximately a maximum of 5 in ICU and 15 in hospital at any one time. Across the whole country! We can reel off examples for most countries in a similar way.

No the health systems advent been stretched, nowhere near. Now as for the economy...

This is a touch more realistic than your original ‘domestic in 6 weeks, NZ a month after that, then full international in another month’ that you replied to me with. We havent even convinced our state premiers to open interstate boarders yet, never mind international.

But you raised the main point, no one knows!

However, peddling false hope is a dangerous. In these circumstances it’s probably best to plan for the worst and cautiously hope for the best, mentally and financially.

Qld could have intrastate flights within weeks. It's then up to states to get their acts together, but it seems to me, that it's all over. Mass gatherings in Qld can't be stopped. (you can't fine 1000 people & cops wouldn't even bother trying) Shopping centres are packed. The public is so over it.

Still can't believe no flights restrictions in USA except you must now wear a mask on all or almost all airlines.